Forensic science international最新文献

{"title":"Nationwide study on forensic genetic analyses in criminal cases in Denmark","authors":"Olivia Luxford Meyer ,&nbsp;Frederik Torp Petersen ,&nbsp;Bo Thisted Simonsen ,&nbsp;Jacob Tfelt-Hansen ,&nbsp;Claus Børsting","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112629","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112629","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Historically, forensic genetics research has focused on increasing sensitivity of DNA analyses, improving mixture profile deconvolution, and advancing forensic DNA intelligence methodologies. The aim of this study was to quantify the relevance of these areas using empirical data from forensic genetic casework in Danish criminal cases. We present a retrospective analysis, primarily covering the years 2016–2022, with additional data from 2023 to 2024. During the entire study period, we received an average of 36,605 samples per year of which 66 % were from high-volume crime cases and 34 % were from violent crime cases. In 2016–2022, 50 % of the samples were deemed unsuitable for standard PCR-CE analyses due to insufficient DNA quantity or quality. Among the reported profiles, 85 % were full profiles with alleles in all analysed loci. A match to a person of interest, a victim, or a profile in the Danish National DNA Database was obtained for 40 % of reported DNA profiles. In 2023, our input DNA threshold for PCR-CE analyses was lowered from 200 pg to 100 pg. This increase in sensitivity led to an immediate increase in the relative number of reported profiles from 50 % to 59 %, which underlines the importance of further optimization of laboratory protocols. Across the full study period, approximately two-thirds of profiles were mixtures, emphasizing the need for continuous research in mixture interpretation and the exploration of alternative methods to deconvolute sample information. Additionally, nearly 8000 single-source profiles from violent crime cases that did not lead to a match with any known individuals, were identified as potential candidates for supplementary analyses. This amounts to approximately 850 samples per year or 2 % of all processed samples that may be analysed with the purpose of obtaining investigative leads through forensic DNA intelligence including prediction of physical traits and age, biogeographic ancestry inference, familial searching or Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112629"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144917559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Short-term stability evaluation of synthetic opioids, cathinones and ketamine in dried urine spots. Method validation and application to real cases","authors":"Brian Rossi,&nbsp;Francesca Freni,&nbsp;Claudia Vignali,&nbsp;Stefania Ortu,&nbsp;Luca Morini","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112622","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112622","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dried urine spots (DUS) are emerging as a practical alternative to traditional urine collection in forensic and clinical toxicology, offering advantages in storage, handling, and biosafety. However, limited data exist on the stability of psychoactive substances in this matrix, particularly for opioids, synthetic cathinones, and dissociative anaesthetics. This study validates an LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantification of twelve psychoactive drugs in DUS: methadone, EDDP, oxycodone, tapentadol, tramadol, ketamine, norketamine, fentanyl, carfentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, 3,4-MD-α-PHP, and MDPV. We also assessed their short-term stability under ambient conditions, using both fortified and authentic samples from forensic and clinical cases. Validation followed SWGTOX guidelines, ensuring sensitivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, recovery, matrix effects, and carryover. Stability was assessed over a 3-week period at room temperature (DUS) and −20°C (urine) at four time points (T0–T3). Our results showed strong linearity (R² &gt; 0.99), with LODs below expected thresholds (0.10 ng/mL in urine and 0.27 ng/mL in DUS), and acceptable accuracy and precision across all QC levels. Matrix effects were negligible; however, recovery was lower at minimal concentrations in DUS. Stability tests revealed analyte-dependent degradation, with synthetic cathinones showing higher resilience, and opioids such as EDDP, tramadol, and oxycodone demonstrating more rapid degradation in real-case samples. Our findings highlight the utility of DUS as reliable matrix for forensic toxicology, especially when a small amount of specimen occurs, although some limitations remain. Nevertheless, molecule-specific stability profiles necessitate tailored validation strategies. Future studies should expand the analyte range and assess long-term stability under variable environmental conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112622"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144917560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Chemsex-related deaths in the United Kingdom (2017–2022): a review of the Forensic Toxicology data” [Forens. Sci. Int. 375 (2025) 112553]","authors":"Mark Tyler,&nbsp;Lindsey Ward,&nbsp;Susan Grosse","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112625","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112625","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112625"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144948351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Glass microtraces originated from mobile phones – Interpretation of their elemental composition for forensic purposes","authors":"Katarzyna Zielińska ,&nbsp;Aleksandra Zimon ,&nbsp;Agnieszka Martyna ,&nbsp;Aleksandra Pawlaczyk ,&nbsp;Grzegorz Zadora ,&nbsp;Małgorzata I. Szynkowska-Jóźwik","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112627","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112627","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mobile devices have become an integral part of our lives. Therefore, those devices could be present and be damaged during various incidents and crimes as a consequence. However, the glass microtraces from broken smartphone displays have limited utility in forensic cases so far due to the narrow state of the art in analyzing this type of potential evidence. Therefore, this research aimed to create a model to verify the possibility of classifying glass microfragments into smartphone screens (PED; 23 samples) or other types of glasses (window sheets or vehicle windows (CW; 30 samples) and glass containers (P; 30 samples)). The elemental composition of collected samples was determined by the SEM-EDS technique. The investigated classification problem was solved using two different likelihood ratio (LR) models. In both cases, the collected dataset was divided into training (60 % of samples) and test sets (40 % of samples). The results received for the LR_LDA and LR_rar models indicate that the variables based on the levels of signals for Al and Ca are sufficient for the correct classification of the analyzed dataset into PED or CWP categories. Therefore, the proposed SEM-EDS method for distinguishing PED glass samples with the employment of LR models may have a high potential for implementation in forensic purposes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112627"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144926324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"KinshipLR: software development and application for complex kinship testing in forensic genetics","authors":"Xingru Zhang ,&nbsp;Yating Fang ,&nbsp;Yuxin Guo ,&nbsp;Bofeng Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112623","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112623","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Complex kinship testing presents significant challenges due to the complexity of genetic information among individuals and the lack of systematic exploration of genetic markers’ effectiveness. This study developed an <em>R</em> package named <em>KinshipLR</em> to optimize biomarker selection for complex kinship testing, evaluating the efficacy of autosomal STRs, SNPs, and X-STRs across various scenarios. Using allele frequency data from Chinese four populations, 10,000 simulations were conducted for each scenario to analyze the factors influencing testing accuracy, including relationship type, population background, genetic marker type, and evaluation algorithms. The findings highlight that the efficacy of genetic markers in complex kinship testing varies among populations. Moreover, while the standalone performance of 20 CODIS-STRs is limited, adding 27 X-STRs significantly improves accuracy in testing scenarios such as full siblings, grandmother-granddaughter, aunt-niece, and half-siblings. Additionally, integrating the IBS with SVM method outperforms traditional LR-based threshold method in complex kinship testing. This study provides a tailored approach for genetic marker selection, enhancing the efficiency and reliability of complex kinship testing and offering valuable insight for forensic application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112623"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144931593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"BR-FDP-EYE: Brazilian Forensic DNA eye phenotyping","authors":"Luiza Marques Prates Behrens ,&nbsp;Carlos Eduardo Ibaldo Gonçalves ,&nbsp;Guilherme da Silva Fernandes ,&nbsp;Mateus Boiani ,&nbsp;Eduardo Filipe Avila Silva ,&nbsp;Maria da Graça Bicalho ,&nbsp;Clarice Sampaio Alho ,&nbsp;Márcio Dorn","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112593","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112593","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP) is a technique used to predict an individual’s physical appearance traits based on DNA. Eye color, a highly heritable genetic trait, is one of the most obvious and distinguishable externally visible characteristics (EVCs) employed in human identification. Genotype-phenotype association studies have focused on detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in and nearby genes directly or indirectly involved in pigment synthesis. In this study, we investigated 66 SNPs related to pigment production and their efficacy in predicting eye color for forensic purposes. Using bioinformatics and machine learning techniques, we analyzed these SNPs in 438 admixed individuals with diverse phenotypes from Southern Brazil. We introduce BR-FDP-EYE, a system for phenotype prediction from DNA. This eye color predictor utilizes five to seven SNPs to classify phenotypes, achieving an overall accuracy of up to 85%. Users can select from four classification methods. The first option is a five-class classifier (BR-FDP-EYE-5), distinguishing Blue, Green, Hazel, Light Brown, and Dark Brown eye colors. While this classifier demonstrates high sensitivity for the Blue and Dark Brown classes (81%–87%), it exhibits lower sensitivity for the remaining three classes (up to 33%). Alternatively, users can choose one of three three-class classifiers, depending on their specific needs: BR-FDP-EYE-3-I for Blue, Intermediate (Green ＋ Hazel ＋ Light Brown), and Dark Brown; BR-FDP-EYE-3-II for Light (Blue ＋ Green), Hazel, and Brown (Light Brown ＋ Dark Brown); and BR-FDP-EYE-3-III for Blue, Intermediate (Green ＋ Hazel), and Brown (Light Brown ＋ Dark Brown). These three-class classifiers improve overall accuracy and enhance per-class metrics, providing a more balanced performance for targeted applications. BR-FDP-EYE offers a simple, user-friendly interface suitable for genetics and anthropological research, educational purposes, and potentially, law enforcement investigations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112593"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145108992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of alternative surfactants on the performance of physical developer formulations","authors":"Morgaine Sharp ,&nbsp;Scott Chadwick ,&nbsp;Sebastien Moret ,&nbsp;Xanthe Spindler ,&nbsp;Nicholas Harvey-Walker","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112617","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112617","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Physical developer (PD) is a physicochemical detection technique for fingermarks on porous surfaces. One of the surfactants in PD, Synperonic® N, has been phased out of manufacture due to generating environmentally harmful degradation products. Previous research, mainly in the US, the UK, and Europe, has attempted to trial alternatives to Synperonic® N, such as Tween® 20 and DGME, however little comparative work has taken place in an Australian context. Over 3000 fingermarks were developed and evaluated to compare three alternative PD formulations containing Synperonic® N, Tween® 20, and DGME surfactants. Their performance was examined across a range of donors, depletions, substrates, and fingermark ages. Formulation performance was comparatively graded using the University of Canberra scale, with overall quality also assessed using a modified Centre for Applied Science and Technology (CAST) scale. A pseudo-operational trial was undertaken on documents from the 1950s to the 1980s. Of the three alternatives, the Tween® 20 formulation performed best, producing three times as many fingermarks than the Synperonic® N formulation graded a CAST ‘4’, and five times as many than the DGME formulation. It was concluded that Tween® 20 is a suitable replacement surfactant for Synperonic® N in PD. Validating a formulation that performed equal to or better than the Synperonic® N solution is a positive outcome, not only in consolidating a gap in the literature more broadly, but also practically for use in Australian casework, given the environmental harm caused by Synperonic® N and the depleting stocks that remain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112617"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144879724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of the accuracy of age estimation based on ratio of pulp chamber to crown volume of the anterior teeth: A CBCT study","authors":"Fatemeh Akbarizadeh ,&nbsp;Bardia Mohammadpour Tabrizi ,&nbsp;Kiarash Fereidouni ,&nbsp;Mohammad Mehdi Karimi Mazidi","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112610","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112610","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Aim</h3><div>The aim of the present study is to assess the accuracy of age estimation usingthe pulp chamber volume/crown volume ratio (PV/CV), thereby enhancing the methodologies previously used that relied on the pulp volume/tooth volume ratio within the context of age estimation in forensic dentistry.Methods: A total of 101 Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images were selected corresponding to subjects aged between 15 and 65 years old. The central,lateral, and canine maxillary teeth of each subject were evaluated. The CBCT images were imported into the Mimics software, and a total of six masks were created for each subject (3 for the pulp chambers and 3 for the crown of the teeth). Then, the calculated volumes were divided to define the PV/CV ratio for each tooth.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>There is a significant and inverse correlation between the age and PV/CV of central, lateral, and canine (P values &lt; 0.001). Moreover, comparing the coefficient of correlation (R2) of the three models, the correlation was strongest in the central tooth,followed by lateral and canine teeth. considering all three indices simultaneously usingmultiple linear regression led to minor changes in the goodness-of-fit indicators. There was no statistically significant difference between the two genders in all indices.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The measuring technique used in the presented study is faster and more accurate than previously used methods, which yields high coefficient of correlation. It is suggested to replace the former methods of measuring tooth volume with this novel approach.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112610"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144893023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An audio tampering detection framework for low SNR conditions based on modified CZT","authors":"Bing Li,&nbsp;Wei Qiu,&nbsp;Xiao Huang,&nbsp;Keyan Yang,&nbsp;Wenxuan Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112619","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112619","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Extracting the electric network frequency (ENF) from digital audio signals is a crucial means of forensic evidence. However, ENF signal extraction is susceptible to noise, making it challenging to establish a reliable matching relationship with the reference frequency database, especially under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions. To solve this problem, an ENF extraction and tampering detection framework (ENF-ETD) for low SNR conditions is proposed in this article. Firstly, a modified Chirp Z-transform (MCZT) method is proposed to extract the ENF signal in digital audio. Subsequently, by comparing with the actual grid frequency, the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) and Euclidean distance (ED) are used to evaluate the accuracy of ENF estimation and determine whether the audio has been tampered with. Finally, the simulations and hardware-based experiments verify the proposed ENF-ETD framework’s effectiveness in noise immunity and digital audio tampering detection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112619"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144904646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Breaking the 50+ barrier: Cortical speed of sound via quantitative ultrasound as a new age-at-death estimator in older adults","authors":"Jieun Kim ,&nbsp;Erin Leslie ,&nbsp;Hadiah Kedwaii","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112621","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112621","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing number of forensic cases and solitary deaths (“<em>kodokushi”</em>) involving older adults warrants targeted methods to serve this growing and vulnerable group. However, age-at-death estimation past midlife remains challenging due to diminished accuracy of traditional macroscopic age markers, often resulting in a single categorization of older age groups as “50 + .” This study evaluates the utility of cortical bone speed of sound (SoS), measured by quantitative ultrasound (QUS), as an alternative biomarker to quantify age-related changes in cortical bone quality and to estimate age-at-death in older adult skeletons. Using QUS, we collected SoS from three peripheral long bones (the radius, tibia, and third phalanx) of 168 anatomical and reference skeletal samples aged 18–103 years. Bayesian linear and generalized additive models were used to model the shift in cortical bone quality from early to late adulthood. Age-at-death predictive model performance was evaluated using correlation (r), mean absolute error (MAE), and credible intervals (CIs). Skeletal SoS reflected nonlinear, sex-specific age-related changes in cortical bone from accrual to loss beyond 40 years. SoS-based age-at-death estimates showed a strong correlation (r ≈ 0.7) with chronological ages, with the lowest MAEs (7.4–8.8 years) observed in the 40–49 and 70–79 age groups. In males, the lowest MAE was observed in the 60–69 age group (3.8 years), and, in females, in the 30–39 age group (5.6 years), followed by the 70–79 age group (6.24 years). This study demonstrates that skeletal SoS offers a biologically justified, non-destructive, fieldwork-suitable alternative to traditional methods for age estimation in older adults.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112621"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144889955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}